Bachchan opened the session at the Tongues on Fire 12th Asian Film festival by announcing he was not a follower of method acting, "I once tried being in character for three or four days and it was very boring". Bachchan believes this system does not suit the cinema coming out of Bollywood, "In a Hindi film the characters do everything. So what character exactly are you going to play?"
Abhishek reveals how he was not fully prepared for the job, 'I think the initial few years were full of inexperience. I spent the first five years making a fool of myself in front of the camera when I should have learnt all that before'.
The award winning actor certainly knows his craft. Shooting on Mani Ratnam's Guru, one of Abhisek's biggest career hits, the audience was given insight into how the actor was able to present the journey of a character ageing on screen from a young man to middle age, through changes in his walk, vocal delivery and posture. Abhishek spoke about the impact of dubbing in a Bollywood film, demonstrating how the use of different sound equipment and positioning of microphones can impact the vocal quality of a character, explaining also how an actor will use small crutches to create character, such as putting cotton wool inside your mouth, as he did for the older Gurukant Desai.
In the ninety minute session, Abhishek highlighted the complexities involved in being a Bollywood actor, "The toughest part is to cry on cue. To hold your tear and let it drop at the right angle and at the right time, and make sure it gets picked up in the shot". The actor also recalled acting advice he has received from Shah Rukh Khan, "When we were shooting on Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, SRK said, I play Shah Rukh Khan in every film because people want to come to the cinema to see Shah Rukh Khan. I act this way purposefully because people want to see that".